Squeak!!!

So, around the beginning of the summer, my car’s brakes started to squeak. Not all the time mind you, just the first few times I would apply the breaks after starting the car. This was especially true in the morning, after the car had been parked all night.

Now, I wasn’t too worried about this because:
1) the brakes didn’t squeak all the time
2) the car is less than three years old, there’s no way the brake pads are gone by now.

But finally I got so annoyed by the “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” (and figured that I should ensure that, indeed, my brake pads still existed), that I took the good ol’ Ford Focus to the mechanic.

The minute I started to explain my situation to the guy behind the counter, he began to proactively predict what I was going to say next. Behind-the-counter-guy then looked over at his co-worker (I’ll call him Bob), and said, “Hey Bob, go see if it’s the typical problem with the Focus, or something different.”

It was then that they explained the situation: apparently, in an effort to help the brakes last longer (thereby saving the thrifty Focus purchasers money) Ford removed the asbestos from the Ford Focus’ brake pads.

Did anyone know that asbestos was in brakes pads? I sure didn’t. All I knew about asbestos was that it was some chemical that was used in the ceilings of buildings built in the 1970s, and had to be removed in the 1990s because we realized that it was poisonous. That, and sometimes the local news will entice you to watch the 11pm broadcast with the classic teaser: “Asbestos outbreak at local middle school, could it be yours?!? Protect yourself! Go buy bottled water! Run! Now! But be back by 11, ‘cuz we’ll also have a story about the cute dog show.”

Anyway, Bob and I got out to the car, and he confirms that my “squeaky squeak squuuueeak” problem is the typical Ford-Focus-sans-the-asbestos, dilemma. He also says that he wouldn’t feel right about replacing my brake pads, because this problem would just resurface later on down the line.

While I appreciate Ford trying to save me money, who the hell wants long-lasting squeaky brakes?!

So, there I sat, powerless in my squeaky car. You should know that I’m not worried that my brake pads may wear down to nothing without me knowing it, because each oil change/tire rotation at a Ford dealership comes with a free multi-point inspection. Nor I am worried that this mechanic was giving me mis-information, because if they wanted to swindle me, they wouldn’t have let me drive off with all my money.

Now, I haven’t been able to find anything on the internet to officially corroborate the mechanics asbestos claim (except maybe this), which sort of makes me want a second opinion. But, nevertheless, the squeakiness is really starting to grate my nerves. Every time I come to stop, I tense up in preparation, I worry about how loud the squeak will be, and I’m cognizant of people around me who will turn to see who just scratched nails on a chalkboard.

Plus, a squeaky Ford Focus communicates one of two things: either I don’t know how to take care of my car, or my car is cheaply made. I’m not a fan of either image.

So, this whole mess also makes me think of doing something kinda crazy, but possibly awesome—get the car I wanted in the first place:











The Toyota Matrix.

As you can tell, I like hatchbacks. But, considering the transitory nature of 20-somethings, I really like the matrix because it can do this:































Drool.

Of course, it’s not the sexiest hatchback ever. That’d be the Mazda 3. But I digress.

So, I’m currently contemplating if I should trade-in the squeaky car (that I was relegated to own per credit approval, mind you) and get the Toyota Matrix, and maybe be happier with my means of conveyance. On the other hand, perhaps I should be happy that I have a car at all and just make sure to take really good car of it, squeaks and all.

There’s also the issue that I have no idea how to go about selling a car, getting a good price, and turning around and buying a car from a separate car company. But, with Ford going down the tubes, and fast, I’m thinking about my options more and more.